Combustion chamber and method for operating said combustion chamber

ABSTRACT

In a combustion chamber ( 1 ) that consists of a mixing zone ( 11 ) and a combustion zone ( 12 ) and which works due to self-ignition, fuel ( 3 ) and support air ( 4 ) are injected laterally at the sidewall ( 6 ) of the mixing zone ( 11 ) into hot gases ( 5 ). By injecting differently controlled fuel/support air mixture jets ( 7 ) into different target spaces within the mixing zone ( 11 ), the operating range of the combustion chamber ( 1 ) can be increased while noxious substances are reduced. The invention relates both to the combustion chamber ( 1 ) as well as to the method for operating this combustion chamber ( 1 ).

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

[0001] The invention relates to a combustion chamber according to the preamble of claim 4 or respectively to a method for operating the combustion chamber according to the preamble of claim 1.

STATE OF THE ART

[0002] Offenlegungsschrift (unexamined patent examination) DE-A1-44 17 538 discloses a combustion chamber with self-ignition. In this combustion chamber, fuel and support air are introduced by a fuel lance into a hot gas flow, are mixed there, and the mixture is burned in a subsequent combustion zone. The fuel lance is located in a mixing zone and is centrally positioned there. Its dimensions are designed for approximately 10% of the total volume flow through the channel, whereby the fuel can be injected transversely or in the direction towards the flow. The injected fuel is carried by the vortices injected upstream along with a portion of support air over several radial openings and is mixed with the main flow. The injected fuel follows the helical course of the vortices and is evenly distributed downstream in the chamber. This reduces the risk of impacted jets on the opposing channel wall as well as the formation of “hot spots,” as is the case in a flow without vortices.

[0003] The advantages of the central fuel injection are gained, however, at the cost of a fuel lance surface in the hot gas flow that is relatively difficult to cool. This built-in element also has a substantial effect on the flow of the hot gases. For fluidic reasons, a minimal lance length is required. This lance length furthermore requires that the fuel lance be inserted through a corresponding long hole into the burner for assembly. This creates a relatively large gap between the burner wall and fuel lance, which is relatively hard to seal. Accordingly irregular air leakages have a negative influence on the overall behavior of the burner.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0004] It is the objective of the invention to avoid said advantages. The invention realizes the objective of creating a combustion chamber and a method for operating said combustion chamber that make it possible to minimize the interference with the hot gas flow in the mixing zone of the combustion chamber. This should be accomplished along with simultaneously less cooling of the fuel lance, and an improved behavior of the combustion chamber in all load ranges should be achieved.

[0005] According to the invention, this is achieved with a method according to the preamble of claim 1 in that the fuel is injected from at least one side wall of the mixing zone of the combustion chamber; and in the combustion chamber according to the invention to the preamble of claim 4, this is achieved in that the at least one fuel lance is set into a side wall of the mixing zone of the combustion chamber. Naturally, it would also be conceivable that support air is also injected through this fuel lance.

[0006] One advantage of such a lateral, asymmetrical injection of the fuel is, in particular, that the fuel lance causes only a slight interference with the flow, whereby this interference is located only on the side wall of the mixing zone, and no longer centrally in the main flow. It is hereby also advantageous if the at least one fuel lance is set into the side wall of the combustion chamber in the shape of a sphere or ellipsoid extending in the main flow direction and projects into the interior of the mixing zone. By constructing the mixing zone as a Venturi channel or possibly additionally present built-in elements (radially or circumferentially), an increase in velocity and thus improved mixing of hot gas and fuel/support gas can be achieved. This type of arrangement practically excludes any follower areas behind the fuel lance in which fuel is able to collect.

[0007] The cooling of the fuel lance can be advantageously minimized with a reduced surface area of the contact point between the fuel lance and the hot gas flow. The area of the seal between the sidewall of the mixing zone and fuel lance is also kept advantageously small and in an advantageous shape.

[0008] According to an advantageous embodiment of the method according to the invention, the fuel and the possibly present support air are injected in different fuel/support air mixture jets into the mixing zone of the combustion chamber, whereby the different fuel/support mixture jets are oriented in different directions or different sectors within the mixing zone of the combustion chamber. This embodiment is particularly advantageous because, depending on the load on the combustion chamber, jets can be added or switched off. This is also advantageous in combination with the above-mentioned built-in elements since with the targeted feeding of different sectors through the jets the fuel can be transported with the same pressure into different areas within the mixing zone.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0009] The invention is explained in more detail in reference to the enclosed figures, whereby

[0010]FIG. 1 schematically shows a section through an annular combustion chamber according to the invention,

[0011]FIG. 2 shows a section according to line II-II in FIG. 1, and

[0012]FIG. 3 shows the section III of FIG. 2.

[0013] Only those elements essential to the invention are shown. Identical elements in different figures are designated in the same manner.

WAY OF EXECUTING THE INVENTION

[0014]FIG. 1 shows a combustion chamber 1 according to the invention that is constructed as an annular combustion chamber around a shaft axis 9. The combustion chamber 1 consists of a vortex generator 14, a mixing zone 11, and a combustion zone 12. Such annular combustion chambers are very well suited for operation as a self-igniting combustion chamber 1, whereby the combustion chamber 1 then is placed between two turbines not shown in the sole figure. A hot gas flow 5 coming from a first turbine (not shown) flows through the vortex generator 14 into the mixing zone 11, is mixed there with a fuel 3, self-ignites in the combustion zone 12, and is then expanded in a second turbine (also not shown). If such a combustion chamber 1 is operated based on self-ignition, the turbine working upstream is only designed for a partial expansion of the hot gases 5, whereby the hot gases 5 then still flow into the vortex generator 14 and the mixing zone 11 of the combustion chamber 1 at a rather high temperature. The temperature of the self-ignition naturally depends on the fuel. An abrupt cross-section increase 13 is located between the mixing zone 11 and the combustion zone 12. The flame front occurs in the plane of the cross-section increase 13.

[0015] The mixing zone 11, as shown in FIG. 1, is constructed as a Venturi channel. Naturally, another form of cross-section changes can be chosen, as long as this promotes the improved acceleration and mixing of fuel 4 and hot gases 5. In the region of the narrowest point, a fuel lance 2 is located that is used to inject fuel 3 and additional support air 4 into the hot gases 5. According to the invention, the fuel lance 2 is set into a sidewall 6 of the mixing zone 11. The fuel 3 and support air 2 therefore are distributed asymmetrically in relation to the cross-section of the mixing zone 11.

[0016] One advantage of such a lateral, asymmetrical injection of the fuel 3 is, in particular, that the fuel lance 2 presents only a slight interference with the flow, whereby this interference is located only on the side wall 6 of the mixing zone 11, and no longer, as in the past, centrally in the main flow. In an advantageous embodiment, the fuel lance 2 is set in the shape of a sphere or ellipsoid extending in the main flow direction of the hot gas 5 into the sidewall 6 of the combustion chamber 1 and projects into the interior of the mixing zone 11 of the combustion chamber 1. With a reduced surface area of the contact point between the fuel lance 2 and the hot gas flow, it is possible to advantageously minimize the cooling of the fuel lance 2 as well as increase the stability of the combustion chamber 1 overall. In practice, this means that the reduced surface of the fuel lance 2 can be easily cooled. An improved seal to prevent leakages is achieved in that the break-through, instead of a long hole as known in the past, can be made correspondingly smaller, i.e., circular or ellipsoid, which means a reduction of the leakage quantity overall.

[0017] According to an advantageous embodiment of the method according to the invention the fuel 3 and the possibly present support air 4 are injected in different fuel/support air mixture jets 7 into the mixing zone 11 of the combustion chamber 1, whereby the different fuel/support mixture jets 7 are oriented in different sectors or different target spaces within the mixing zone 11 of the combustion chamber 1. FIG. 2 shows a section according to line II-II of FIG. 1. There, the orientation of the jets 7 into different regions of the mixing zone 11 is shown clearly. FIG. 3 furthermore shows a more detailed portrayal of section III of FIG. 2. The arrangement of several channels next to each other permits the injection of fuel 3 and support air 4. The support air 4 surrounds the fuel 3 in the shape of a sleeve, whereby the fuel jets are injected as a plain jet into the mixing zone. By choosing different channels, different types of fuel (gaseous/liquid) can be used. Such an injection principle is known in principle from Offenlegungsschrift (unexamined patent examination) EP-A1-1,030,109.

[0018] The use of different nozzle geometries is suitable for this purpose. The embodiment of the jets 7 is particularly advantageous because, depending on the load on the combustion chamber, jets 7 can be added or switched off. This means that the jets 7 are individually fed. Overall, the entire operating range can be increased from a minimal to a maximal fuel quantity. This achieves a better behavior at partial loads, which has a positive effect on the behavior with respect to noxious substances, i.e., the formation of CO, NO_(x), UHC etc. It is also possible to add or switch off all fuel/support gas mixture jets 7 of a fuel lance 2 together.

[0019] The arrangement of the fuel lances 2 according to the invention is also advantageous because follower areas behind the fuel lance 2 in which fuel 3 may collect are practically completely excluded.

[0020] By means of a cross-section change of the mixing zone 11, for example, as a Venturi channel or possibly additionally present built-in elements (radially or circumferentially) within the mixing zone, an increase in velocity and thus improved mixing of hot gas 5 and fuel 3/support gas 4 can be achieved. This is also advantageous in combination with the above-mentioned built-in elements since with the targeted feeding of different sectors through the jets 7 the fuel can be transported with the same pressure into different sectors.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0021] 1. Combustion chamber

[0022] 2. Fuel lance

[0023] 3. Fuel

[0024] 4. Support air

[0025] 5. Hot gas flow

[0026] 6. Side wall of burner 1

[0027] 7. Fuel/air mixture jet

[0028] 8. Seal

[0029] 9. Shaft axis

[0030] 10. Waste gases

[0031] 11. Mixing zone

[0032] 12. Combustion zone

[0033] 13. Cross-section increase

[0034] 14. Vortex generator 

1. Method for injecting fuel (3) and support air (4) into a combustion chamber (1), whereby the fuel (3) is injected into a mixing zone (11) in a hot gas flow (5) by means of at least one fuel lance (2) and is burned in a combustion zone (12) following the mixing zone (11) in order to produce a waste gas flow (10), whereby the mixing zone (11) is preceded by a vortex generator (14), and the combustion chamber (1) ignites by self-ignition, characterized in that the fuel (3) and the support air (4) are injected from at least one sidewall (6) of the mixing zone (11) of the combustion chamber (1) into the mixing zone (11).
 2. Method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the fuel (3) and support air (4) are injected in different fuel/support air mixture jets (7) into the mixing zone (11) of the combustion chamber (1), whereby the different fuel/support air mixture jets (7) are directed into different directions within the mixing zone (11) of the combustion chamber (1).
 3. Method as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that fuel/support air mixture jets (7) are added or switched off dependent on the load behavior of the combustion chamber (1).
 4. Combustion chamber (1) for performing the method as claimed in one of claims 1 to 3, which consists of a mixing zone (11) and a combustion zone (12), whereby at least one fuel lance (2) is provided for the injection of fuel (3) and support air (4) into the hot gas flow (5) located inside the mixing zone (11), whereby the mixing zone (11) is preceded by a vortex generator (14), characterized in that the at least one fuel lance (2) is set into a sidewall (6) of the mixing zone (11) of the combustion chamber (1).
 5. Combustion chamber (1) as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the at least one fuel lance (2) is set into the side wall (6) of the burner (1) in the shape of a sphere or ellipsoid and projects into the interior of the mixing zone (11) of the combustion chamber (1).
 6. Combustion chamber (1) as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that a seal (8) is located between the fuel lance (2) and sidewall (6) of the combustion chamber (1).
 7. Combustion chamber (1) as claimed in one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the combustion chamber (1) is constructed as an annular combustion chamber.
 8. Combustion chamber (1) as claimed in one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the mixing zone (11) of the combustion chamber (1) has at least one cross-section change.
 9. Combustion chamber (1) as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the mixing zone (11) of the combustion chamber (1) is constructed as a Venturi channel. 